TORAH & SCIENCE-----archeology and exodus

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HeyImABeleiver Posted - 05 September 2004 16:10

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We all no that Yetziat Mitzraim is a core foundation in Judaism. So how is that scientists have found no remnants from the Jews leaving Egypt or traveling in the Sinai desert?

A mass exodus of at least 600,000 people would have greatly affected Egypt. Why are there no remnants or proofs that this happened?

The desert is the best place to find such things b/c of the dry air, why have no archeological artifacts been discovered from the Jews?

MODERATOR Posted - 05 September 2004 16:49

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There is actually tons of archeological and historical evidence of Yetzias Mitzrayim.

Rabbi Kelleman's book is a good place to start - he lists much archeological evidence of things like the 10 makos which were written down by Egyptians lamenting their fate at the time, as well as the exodus itself.

But there is also history - the fact that Egypt suddenly "disappeared" off the historical map as a superpower for a few centuries has bothered secular historians for a very long time.

Check out a book called Ages in Chaos by Immanuel Velikovsky, where he demonstrates that the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of Egypt as superpower coincides perfectly with the Biblical account of Egypt getting their country decimated by the Makos and their entire army wiped out at the Yam Suf.

grend123 Posted - 05 September 2004 19:50

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Actually, this one is quite easy. No one has ever really disputed that the Jews were in Egypt - just the details of the story. In Josephus's book "Against Apion" one of the slanders brought by Manato (an Egyptian anti-Semitic historian who lived in the early bayit sheini period) is that the Egyptians threw the Jews out because they were lepers, but even he dares not argue that they were never there.

BrotherConcern Posted - 06 September 2004 12:15

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Archeological artifacts not being found, OK. They wore the same clothes for 40 years, traveled on the Ananei Kavod, ate man, and did not work, so they did not really need or use keilim.

But what about the skeletons of all the Jews that died? All males between 20 and 60 were supposed to die before entering Eretz Yisroel- that's quite a number.

MODERATOR Posted - 06 September 2004 12:35

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It’s not as if they went looking in the desert for these bones - maybe they will find them.

But more likely, I would imagine that the remains of those people who miraculously died were swept up by the ananei hakavod and buried miraculously or something to that effect. Their deaths were of course a miracle, so their burials could very well have been also. Who knows.

1983 Posted - 08 September 2004 11:19

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This is for heyImabeliever.

There is a Haggada I have at home called Haggada Chaim. It's English BTW.

If you can get your hands on it, it has in the front about 10/12 pages packed with archaeological findings relating to Yitzias Mitzrayim.

Like, for example, there was an Egyptian poet who wrote all of his poetry on walls in caves.

It had some references to wild animals coming from all over and some thing referring to blood replacing water. That was the gist of his writing.

There are also a good 45 or so more along those lines.